Valorization of biowastes as fermentative substrate for production of Exiguobacterium sp. GM010 pigment and toxicity effect in rats.

Bioconversion of biowastes chicken feather (CF), prawn carapace (PC), fish scale (FS), and corncob (CC) were used for Exiguobacterium sp. GM010 pigment production to reduce environmental pollution. Maximum pigment was produced in 4 % PC hydrolysate medium at pH 8 and 30 °C (0.831 Absorption Unit-AUmL-1) compared to other hydrolysate. Biomass (1061.19 ± 26.14 mg/100 mL) and pigment yield (34.26 ± 0.62 mg/100 mL) were higher in PC medium. In CF + PC hydrolysate combination, biomass and pigment yield was 890.58 ± 11.5 mg/100 mL and 13.94 ± 0.17 mg/100 mL, respectively. Carbon and nitrogen ratio in the medium influenced pigment production. The UV-visible spectrum showed absorption peak at 357, 466, and 491 nm. Further hue angle (77-72) and chroma values (8.68-11.38) distributed over yellowish-orange region of CIELAB spectrum indicated carotenoid like characteristics. Wistar rats fed with pigment (2000 mg/kg bw) did not show sign of toxicity in haematological, biochemical and histopathological analysis. Therefore, pigment produced by recycling the biowastes promotes sustainable bioprocess and circular bioeconomy.

Dual Mode of Action of Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 Pigment to Ameliorate Alcohol Induced Liver Toxicity in Rats.

Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment exhibited antioxidant activity by scavenging free radicals. The alcohol feeding leads to free radical generation causing pathophysiological processes of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and alcoholic hepatitis. T. purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment administered to rats ameliorated the ALD by scavenging ROS. The haematological analysis revealed the increased neutrophil circulation. The neutrophil infiltration was observed in the hepatocytes of the rats fed with pigment (600 mg/kg body weight). The increase in the number of neutrophils helps in liver regeneration caused by alcoholic hepatitis. The dual mechanism of action of pigment, antioxidant and liver regeneration through neutrophil production is attributed to alleviate the ALD. These results suggested that T. purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment represents the protective and therapeutic strategy against ALD.

Safety efficacy and chemical profiling of water-soluble Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment.

Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 pigments are non-toxic to Artemia franciscana. Further, in acute toxicity study, single dose (50, 300, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg body weight) pigment was administered to female Wistar rats. After 14 days, no evidence of adverse effect on body weight, mortality and clinical signs were observed. Similarly, 28 days sub-acute studies (250-1000 mg/kg body weight) showed no significant changes in food intake, body weight gain and relative weight of vital organs. No signs of toxicity on biochemical, hematological parameters. Histopathological examination of the liver and kidney were normal. There were no marked changes in any of the serum enzymes activities. There were no significant changes in treated and control group (acute and sub-acute). The HRMS data revealed the identification of purpuride, PP-O, PP-R, pentalsamonin, puractin-A, arginine-monascorubrin, purpurquinone-A, ankaflavin, purpactin-C. These results confirmed safety efficacy of T. purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment and suggested applications in food and nutraceuticals.

Protective and antioxidative effect of rubropunctatin against oxidative protein damage induced by metal catalyzed reaction.

Monascus purpureus is known to produce several coloured secondary metabolites. In this study, M. purpureus CFR 410-11 mutant fermented with rice was dried and extracted in hexane for purification of pigment. The purity of the isolated pigment was confirmed by different chromatography techniques. The spectroscopic analysis revealed its structural identity as rubropunctatin. The antioxidant potencies of isolated rubropunctatin were evaluated. Rubropunctatin scavenged 16% 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and inhibited 20% superoxide generation at 8 µg/ml concentration. The multiple antioxidant abilities of rubropunctatin were evidenced by its ferric reducing capacity also. The oxidative damage of BSA protein was induced by the metal catalyzed oxidation (MCO) by Fe2+/H2O2. The protective effects of rubropunctatin and M. purpureus (MTCC-410 and CFR 410-11) extracts were compared with glutathione and ascorbic acid. The M. purpureus extracts and rubropunctatin inhibited the formation of carbonyl content and protein oxidation assayed by SDS-PAGE. Rubropunctatin (42-169 µM) efficiently inhibited the protein oxidation compared to glutathione (48-195 µM) and ascorbic acid (85-340 µM) by scavenging the superoxide and hydroxyl radical generated in the system.

Functional attributes of a new molecule-2-hydroxymethyl-benzoic acid 2'-hydroxy-tetradecyl ester isolated from Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02.

An account of antioxidant and antimicrobial characteristics displayed by ethyl acetate extract of Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM-02 cultivated by submerged fermentation on bengal gram husk (BegH) led to the isolation of a new molecule, which was purified via silica gel column chromatography. The TLC and HPLC data revealed the purity of the isolated compound. By employing an array of spectroscopic techniques, structural elucidation was accomplished, and the molecule was identified as 2-hydroxymethyl-benzoic acid 2'-hydroxy-tetradecyl ester and was also designated with a familiar name pentalsamonin. The pentalsamonin molecule scavenged DPPH (24%), H2O2 (64%), superoxide anion (58%) with a reducing power (0.989 AU) at the given concentration. The MIC and MBC of pentalsamonin against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are in the range 62.5-125 and 125-250 µg/ml, respectively. The antioxidant and antibacterial functional attributes of pentalsamonin suggest useful applications in food and nutraceuticals.

Effect of UV-B Radiation and Desiccation Stress on Photoprotective Compounds Accumulation in Marine Leptolyngbya sp.

Increased awareness regarding the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation has led to the search for new sources of natural UV-B protecting compounds. Mycosporine-like amino acids are one of such promising compounds found in several organisms. Cyanobacteria are ideal organisms for isolation of these compounds due to their compatibility and adaptability to thrive under harsh environmental conditions. In the following investigation, we report the production of shinorine in Leptolyngbya sp. isolated from the intertidal region. Based on the spectral characteristics and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, the UV-absorbing compound was identified as shinorine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence of shinorine in Leptolyngbya sp. We also investigated the effect of artificial UV-B radiation and periodic desiccation on chlorophyll-a, total carotenoids, and mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) production. The UV-B radiation had a negative effect on growth and chlorophyll concentration, whereas it showed an inductive effect on the production of total carotenoids and MAAs. Desiccation along with UV-B radiation led to an increase in the concentration of photoprotective compounds. These results indicate that carotenoids and MAAs thus facilitate cyanobacteria to avoid and protect themselves from the deleterious effects of UV-B and desiccation.

Detoxification and color removal of Congo red by a novel Dietzia sp. (DTS26) - a microcosm approach.

The present study deals with the decolorization and detoxification of Congo red (CR) by a novel marine bacterium Dietzia sp. (DTS26) isolated from Divar Island, Goa, India. The maximum decolorization of 94.5% (100 mg L(-1)) was observed under static condition within 30 h at pH 8 and temperature 32±2°C. Bacterially treated samples could enhance the light intensity by 38% and the primary production levels 5 times higher than the untreated. The strain was also able to reduce COD by 86.4% within 30 h at 100 mg L(-1) of CR dye. The degraded metabolites of CR dye were analyzed by FTIR, HPLC, GC-MS and the end product closely matches with 4-amino-3-naphthol-1-sulfonate which is comparatively less toxic than CR. Bioassay experiments conducted in treated samples for Artemia franciscana showed better survival rates (after 72 h) at higher concentration of CR (500 mg L(-1)). This work suggests the potential application of DTS26 in bioremediation of dye wastes and its safe disposal into coastal environment.

A comparative rapid and sensitive method to screen l-asparaginase producing fungi.

Fungi are well known to produce various industrial enzymes and secondary metabolites with different colours. Fungi producing l-asparaginase enzyme are conventionally screened on medium containing phenol red (PR). The contrast between enzyme-hydrolysed zone and unhydrolysed l-asparagine is not very evident and distinct in medium containing PR and bromothymol blue (BB) due to coloured secondary metabolite production. Thus, PR and BB limit and affect the detection and screening method. In the present investigation, an improved method for screening is reported by comparing with PR and BB, wherein methyl red (MR) is incorporated as pH indicator. The enzyme activity was distinctly observed (red and light-yellow) in MR incorporated medium compared to PR and BB.

Glucose released by hydrolytic activity of amylase influences the pigment synthesis in Penicillium sp NIOM-02.

Carbon catabolite repression is generally considered as a regulatory mechanism to ensure sequential synthesis of secondary metabolites. In this study we made an attempt to understand the influence of amylase activity on pigment synthesis in Penicillium sp NIOM-02. The amylase activity is inversely proportional to pigment production. The high performance liquid chromatography analysis of amylase reaction revealed glucose as the major product of starch hydrolysis. The fungus grown in acarbose (inhibitor of amylase) incorporated media produced higher quantities of pigments. Apparently, glucose released due to amylase activity influenced the pigment synthesis by cAMP signaling pathway.

Antioxidant effect of red mould rice in hypercholesterolemic Wistar male rats.

The effect of Monascus purpureus red mould rice (RMR) on modulation of lipid metabolism and oxidative stress was studied in hypercholesterolemic rats. Cholesterol feeding for 14 weeks caused a significant increase in the lipid peroxides and total thiols and antioxidant enzymes, viz. glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRd), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in serum and liver in comparison to the control group. However, supplementation of RMR to hypercholesterolemic rats at 8, 12 and 16% significantly increased the GRd, GPx, SOD and CAT activities in serum and liver tissues. Furthermore, RMR feeding significantly decreased total thiols and lipid peroxides and also increased other antioxidant molecules such as glutathione and ascorbic acid in high-cholesterol fed rats. The efficiency of RMR (16%) in modulating the antioxidant molecules and antioxidant enzymes is comparable to standard drug-lovastatin. Thus, this study suggests that the long-term administration of RMR may play an important role in suppressing oxidative stress and, thus, may be useful for the prevention and/or early treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

Statins: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors demonstrate anti-atherosclerotic character due to their antioxidant capacity.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of multiple etiologies. It is associated with the accumulation of oxidized lipids in arterial lesions leading to coronary heart disease. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (commonly known as statins) are widely used in cardiovascular disease prevention to lower the cholesterol. The antioxidant activity of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors was studied by lipid peroxidation inhibition assay, DPPH, and hydroxyl radical scavenging-activity methods. The lovastatin (93%) and simvastatin (96%) showed significant action of lipid peroxidation inhibition compared to other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. The DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of simvastatin was 38% and 33%, respectively. The oxidative modification of serum lipid due to reactive oxygen species causes atherosclerosis. This study revealed the importance of lovastatin and simvastatin to prevent oxidative stress-related cardiovascular diseases.

Isolation and characterization of dihydromonacolin-MV from Monascus purpureus for antioxidant properties.

The methanolic extract of Monascus purpureus cultivated by solid-state fermentation on rice showed strong 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and better yield as compared to other polarity based extracted fractions. It was selected for further purification of the antioxidant. The activity-guided repeated fractionation of methanolic extract on a silica gel column chromatography yielded a compound that exhibited strong antioxidant activity. Based on the spectroscopic analysis by UV, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 2D-HSQCT NMR, and MS, the antioxidant isolated was elucidated as a derivative of dihydromonacolin-K, where the ester group is 2-methyl propionate, designated as dihydromonacolin-MV. The DPPH radical was significantly scavenged by the dihydromonacolin-MV (IC50 20+/-1 microg ml-1). The dihydromonacolin-MV showed strong inhibition of lipid peroxidation in a liposome model with an IC50 value of 5.71+/-0.38 microg ml-1 and superoxide radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 163.97+/-2.68 microg ml-1.